1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention is generally related to a drawer guide for supporting a moveable structure, such as a drawer, in a furniture article and is specifically directed to a self-positioning cabinet rail for supporting a pull-out rail of a drawer guide in a drawer opening, the cabinet rail including a downwardly bent projection for spacing the cabinet rail from the bottom of the drawer opening. Alternatively, it is not necessary to bend the projection, but rather the projection may extend parallel to the cabinet rail with an extension member disposed on the projection to space the cabinet rail from the bottom of the drawer opening and also to provide a stop for the drawer front.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of pull-out drawer guides have been used in furniture such as cabinets, desks and the like for supporting drawers and similar moveable structure for many years. One such type of drawer guide has guide rails mountable to a furniture article and pull-out rails carrying the moveable structure, both of which are provided with rollers. The pull-out rail may support a drawer, a bin, a board or the like, and the respective rollers enable the pull-out guide and carried structure to be moved freely and without resistance between a forward, open position and a rearward, closed position.
Typically, this type of drawer guide includes a U-shaped guide rail and a Z-shaped pull-out rail. The U-shaped guide rail is mountable to a furniture article, such as a cabinet and serves as a track on which the Z-shaped pull-out rail and supported drawer rolls in and out of the drawer opening. The guide rail is made by first stamping out an elongate rectangular blank from a web of sheet metal and thereafter shaping by bending the long edges to form the upper and lower legs of the U-shaped cross section. Thus, the width of the blank is determined by the required dimensions of the U-shaped cross-section, which limits the width of the front end of the guide rail.
One disadvantage of this type of drawer guide is that when the pull-out rail is placed on the "track", the bottom leg of the Z-shaped pull-out rail, often extends below the bottom edge of the guide rail. The result is that the bottom leg of the pull-out rail and the supported drawer do not clear the lower member of the drawer opening. Thus, it is necessary that the guide rail be spaced and mounted a pre-determined distance above the lower member of the drawer opening to enable the pull-out rail and supported drawer to clear it.
One approach to positioning the guide rail a pre-determined space above the bottom of the drawer opening would be to provide a workman with a specially designed jig for pre-drilling holes for screws or the like for mounting the guide rail at the correct pre-determined distance. Alternatively, a workman could use a separate spacer which would be placed between the guide rail and lower member of the drawer opening while mounting the guide rail to the cabinet to ensure that the proper spacing is attained. However, either solution would be costly and time consuming.
Another solution would be to make the entire front end of the cabinet rail wider by a distance equal to the required space so that aligning the bottom of the front end of the cabinet rail with the lower member of the drawer opening provides the required spacing. Although conceivably the blank of sheet metal could be stamped out in irregular shape with a wider end or perhaps trimmed that way, this would require altering the current specifications for making the guide rails and the cost in wasted sheet metal alone would be enormous.
Therefore, there is a need for a means which provides an inexpensive, readily accessible way to mount the guide rail for a drawer guide the required spaced distance above the lower member of a drawer opening so that the pull-out rail and supported drawer clear the opening.